Saturday, April 23, 2011

We're 10 days into the SKOHRboard & Stangs League 2011 NFL Mock Draft and have another great set of picks for today. You'll get to see the 2nd Round picks for the Redskins, Texans, Vikings and Lions. All of whom pretty much lucked out in the 1st Round by nabbing some great players.

We have highly qualified NFL experts who have each been assigned the role of temporary GM for several NFL teams and we will go through the first two rounds selecting the best players for our respective teams. While you follow along, I'd like to urge you to give us your feedback and please feel free to lobby for your respective team's GM to pick whatever player you feel is best suited to them.

The Redskins haven't had a good WR option aside from Chris Cooley for years. Yes I know who Santana Moss is and he has never scared anyone. Imagine how angry Clinton Portis must have been during every game knowing that the only thing defenses had to stop was him. Adding a big (at 6'5" 235lbs) and fast (4.5 in the 40) WR will not only help Moss, it will help whoever plays QB now and eventually Locker, and whoever they pick up at RB because Portis won't be back next season either.

As you can tell from that last sentence, this is a team with some serious needs. There were a number of ways we could have gone here but WR has been an almost black hole for years and the ability to grab a guy who could turn into a real star is too good to pass up.

>>SKOHRboard & Stangs Mock Draft 2011, Houston Texans

Round 2 Pick #10 (42), Brandon Harris, CB, Miami<<

by Jeremy

Few high school quarterbacks in the Houston area (Cy Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek) would have had much trouble getting yards against the Texans secondary. Were they a better team, the Texans might select a DT that would fit their new 3-4 defense (Phil Taylor), but the Texans have a lot of improvements to make if they want to stop losing the division, and the selection of a first-round talent at CB makes for a great second pick.

Harris has excellent speed and is physical enough to jam and cover receivers in a 3-4 defense. He has some trouble against more physical wideouts, but no one in-division really should cause him that much worry. He started three years for the Hurricanes and brings some classic "U" swagger to a miserable defense. He doesn't have a lot of interceptions but he is still a good defender around the ball. He will have to develop a few skills, but his football IQ is high enough that he will still make some strong plays, as he did when thrown into the fire as a Freshman for Miami. No one one the field will be able to blow past him down the line, so unless he is unfortunate enough to draw the big receiver instead of the speed receiver, the Texans should find good use of Mr. Harris. He showed good technique at the combine, and the Texans are willing to bet that he helps them keep that passing average below 300 this year.

>>SKOHRboard & Stangs Mock Draft 2011, Minnesota Vikings

Round 2 Pick #11 (43), Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State<<

by Justin!

The Vikings targeted a QB in round one expecting that there wouldn't be any worthy candidates still waiting at this pick in round two, and that seems to be the case. With a signal-caller finally addressed, the Vikings find they have many more needs that still must be addressed. There are needs along the offensive line and in the secondary, but with a defensive-minded coach stepping in, we think defense is a necessity at this pick. While Jabaal Sheard, the defensive end out of Pitt, was our expected target here, we can't pass up the opportunity to grab Pat Williams's replacement at DT in the Pacific Islander from Oregon State.

Paea started his college career at a tiny Ju-Co school, but once he started packing on weight and dominating, he drew the attention of D-I (or FBS if you are a dick) schools, ultimately becoming a consensus All-American at Oregon State. He also became famous for setting the Combine bench-press record, with 49 reps at 225 pounds. That upper-body strength will translate well to the NFL, as he has a pretty devastating forearm shiver and club that he uses in his pass rush. As far as toughness goes, the guy grew up Tongan, was born in New Zealand, and played rugby as a kid: you aren't going to find a tougher, more determined defensive line prospect than this guy.

It was surprising to see Paea still available at this spot, but this draft seems to be heavy on defensive end selections and light on defensive tackle selections up to this point. If Paea were unavailable, I would think that the Vikings would immediately target Jabaal Sheard, a first-round talent out of Pitt who, on the one hand, saved an old woman from a burning building, but on the other hand was involved in a huge street fight that ended with him getting pepper sprayed after tossing the other guy through a glass door.

>>SKOHRboard & Stangs Mock Draft 2011, Detroit Lions

Round 2 Pick #12 (44), Benjamin Ijalana, OT, Villanova<<

by Dikembe Mutombo

Ijalana is rising up draft boards and he actually fell here in our mock draft and the Lions are ecstatic. Lions needed an OL to help protect their former #1 pick Matthew Stafford and Ijalana looks like a great fit. Ijalana is 6'4, 320 but very quick for his size. He is a raw talent coming out of Villanova and will need some teaching in the NFL to reach his potential, but he has the ability to be a long term starter for the Lions. He may play OG in his first few years while he develops but he very well may be starting from Day 1 for Detroit.

So far the SKOHRboard & Stangs League 2011 NFL Mock Draft looks like this

Stay tuned to SKOHRboard for more mock draft action every day until the NFL Draft kicks off on April 28th.

Don't forget to "like" SKOHRboard's Facebook page, follow @SKOHR on Twitter, and if you enjoyed this article please it with your friends. You can easily do all three with the links included here, the buttons just below this, and the gadgets to the right of the page!